"Former US President Donald Trump will defy the will of the American people if he supports Russia in its all-out war against Ukraine."
This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with CNN.
As the presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming 2024 presidential election, Trump's influence over the party has contributed to the ongoing impasse in Congress over US aid to Ukraine. Earlier in February, the Senate passed a funding bill containing $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to bring it up for a vote.
Despite the impasse, Zelensky said he had recently spoken with Johnson and felt optimistic that the funding would eventually be passed.
"Johnson said that he will do everything he can to support Ukraine and that he is on our side, and that he understands how heroic our people and our soldiers are," the Ukrainian president said.
Meanwhile, senior Democratic lawmakers say Johnson's inaction on Ukraine is ultimately due to Trump's influence.
The former US president has long been critical of US aid to Ukraine, a position that aligns with his "America First" foreign policy views. He said he would be able to negotiate peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, although he did not specify specific steps to achieve this.
Trump also caused concern among NATO allies when he said he would encourage Russia to do "whatever it wants" with members that do not meet the 2 percent defense spending requirement.
Zelensky said the Republicans don't really understand Vladimir Putin because the US has never been directly at war with Russia.
"I don't think he understands that Putin will never stop," the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky also addressed the deadlock over US aid, saying Ukraine would not only be unable to mount new countermeasures but would likely struggle to defend its current positions. His assessments echo those of other Ukrainian and US officials, who say the lack of US military aid has directly contributed to the deterioration of Ukraine's battlefield positions, illustrated by the retreat from Avdiyivka earlier in February.
The Ukrainian head of state responded to a statement by US Senator JD Vance, an outspoken opponent of US aid to Ukraine, who said the outcome of the war would not change even if Congress finally passed additional aid.
“Vance doesn't understand what's going on here, to understand it, he has to come to the front lines to see what's going on without this help. And he will understand that millions of people will be killed," Zelensky said.
"God bless the fact that you don't have a war on your territory," the president added./BGNES
